Dropping all the way to #1

Wisconsin State Roundup

Wisconsin recently became the nation’s
number one state for manufacturing,
but it might be forgiven for not feeling
very celebratory because it assumed the
throne somewhat by default.

According to federal data, 15.6 percent
of the state’s workers are employed
in manufacturing—just a shade over the
15.4 percent rate for Indiana, the former
champion. Wisconsin grabbed the
top spot despite shedding more than
61,000 manufacturing jobs—almost 13
percent of all jobs in the sector—from
the most recent May-to-May period.

That job loss cut manufacturing’s
share of jobs down from 17 percent, but
demonstrates the job devastation in the
Hoosier state, where manufacturing
once enjoyed a rate of 17.8 percent.